“When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self.” Confucius

Motivation Mondays: Chinese New Year – Symbols, Rituals, Year of the Monkey

2016 is the year of the monkey; a Yang Fire year. Fire shapes Metal, but can also be a destructive force. Elements of chaos and creation dance together with wild abandon. Scams, delusions and illusions are plentiful, and psychological factors have strong influence. Often it’s not what you see, but how you see it that matters. People born in the year of the monkey are lively, flexible, witty and versatile with strong practical ability. They are good leaders with an insatiable desire for knowledge and amazing creativity. Highly intelligent, they are self-assured, sociable, innovative, good at saving up money, in good physical shape and make good decisions and they are most in good physical conditions.On the flip side, they can be quick-tempered, jealous, impatient and arrogant. via HanBan.com

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Hóunián jíxiáng! Happy New Year! Good luck for this year of the Monkey! Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái. Gōng hè xīn xǐ! Happy celebrations to everyone! How Motivated are you to make this a transformative and bonanza year? Today is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year which will be celebrated for 7-15 days; of the fifteen days of festivities, three are official holidays in China, seven gives people time to perform all the important family related, traditional rituals, and fifteen welcomes the Lantern Festival. In fact, the celebrations actually begin on the eve of the Chinese New Year with the Reunion Dinner. People eat special foods that represent good luck; pigs, ducks, chicken, sweets and fish and Niangao, a Chinese New Year cake. The color Red is an important color in Chinese culture, it symbolizes prosperity and celebrants decorate their doors and windows with red paper-cut outs and positive messages on “wealth,” “happiness” and “good fortune.”

As with every New Year, azodiac animal is chosen and that animal brings special qualities to the celebrations for the year. This is the year of the Monkey, and this charming, witty, playful animal will add spice, pranks and a delightful intelligence to the year. If you cross the Monkey, arrogance and impatience awaits you. If you are into numerology, you’d know that 8 is a dynamic number for business and personal success so, the New Year and the Monkey will bring us all a bountiful year of great achievement and transformation. This global event and auspicious New Year officially ends on the 27th of January 2017 and on January 28, 2017 another new year will begin with the Rooster as the designated animal.“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” Confucius

Motivation Mondays: Chinese New Year – Symbols, Rituals, Year of the Monkey

Motivation Mondays: Chinese New Year – Symbols, Rituals, Year of the Monkey

The Mythology of The Chinese New Year
According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: Nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the colour red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu’s mount. Chinese New Year Wikipedia

At the start of any auspicious season, we have an opportunity to look within and reinvent ourselves with a renewed vigor to make better, wiser choices. The Chinese zodiac shows this as a Yang Fire monkey year. A Monkey year adds wit and intelligence to the mix and if we can stay humble, we will see gains that will help us stay motivated for the rest of the year. For many who celebrate the Chinese New Year around the world, it is the most important celebration to start off a year of great effort, good actions, and wisdom to help us earn great good fortune.

The Monkey brings positive, negative and health related traits to us during this Lunar Year. It offers lucky qualities in the form of: Numbers: 1,8,9; Colors: white, gold, blue; Flowers: chrysanthemum, alliums; Directions: north, northwest, west; Days: the 14th and 28th; Months: the 8th and 12th, and unlucky traits too. The following Colors: red, pink; Numbers: 2 and 7; directions: south, southeast; Months: the 7th and 11th Chinese lunar months augur unpleasant interactions for any who fall under the monkey spell. In addition to honoring the lucky qualities of the designated animal for each year, people look for popular and auspicious blessings/sayings to share with friends and family during the festivities of this beloved tradition. Fu Xing, Lu Star, and Shou are key parts of Chinese folklore and represent the God of Happiness and Good Luck, the God of prosperity, and the God of Longevity; they combine their forces to bring great luck: 福禄寿 Happiness, Prosperity, and Longevity.A Story: Come Back For Some Later! <3The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for January 2016 and February 2016 are:

More Below!“Days are too busy; Hours are too few; Seconds are too fast; But there is always time for me to say; Happy New Year!” Chinese New Year Quote

Motivation Mondays: Chinese New Year – Symbols, Rituals, Year of the Monkey

Chinese New Year’s Day Taboos: To be avoided on the first day of the Chinese New Year:Medicine: Taking medicine on the first day of the lunar year means one will get ill for a whole year.Laundry: People do not wash clothes on the first and second day, because these two days are celebrated as the birthday of Shuishen (水神, the Water God).Washing hair: Hair must not be washed on the first day of the lunar year.Sharp objects: The use of knives and scissors is to be avoided as any accident is thought to lead to inauspicious things and the depletion of wealth.Going out: A woman may not leave her house; otherwise she will be plagued with bad luck for the entire coming year.The broom: If you sweep on this day then your wealth will be swept away too.Crying children: The cry of a child is believed to bring bad luck to the family, so parents do their best to keep children as happy as possible.Theft: Having your pocket picked is believed to portend your whole wealth in the coming year being stolen.Debt: Money should not be lent on New Year’s Day, and all debts have to be paid by New Year’s Eve.Empty rice jar: A depleted receptacle may cause grave anxietyDamaged clothes: Wearing threadbare duds can cause more bad luck for the year.Killing things: Blood is considered an ill omen, which will cause misfortunes such as a knife wound, or a bloody disaster.Monochrome fashion: White or black clothes are barred as these two colours are traditionally associated with mourning.Welcoming the New Year: According to tradition, people must stay up late on New Year’s Eve to welcome the New Year, and then to let off firecrackers and fireworks to scare off inauspicious spirits and Nian, the New Year monster.Giving of certain gifts: Clocks, scissors, and shears all have a bad meaning in Chinese culture.via Telegraph.co.uk

What more can we do to stay motivated in a Lunar New Year? You can follow the dictates of a popular Chinese proverb: If you want happiness for an hour; take a nap. If you want happiness for a day; go fishing. If you want happiness for a month; get married. If you want happiness for a year; inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime; help someone else. You can avoid the taboo things listed above and share the following Twelve Blessings listed below to Help You Celebrate Chinese New Year.
金玉滿堂Jīnyùmǎntáng – “May your wealth [gold and jade] come to fill a hall”;
大展鴻圖Dàzhǎnhóngtú – “May you realize your ambitions”;
迎春接福Yíngchúnjiēfú – “Greet the New Year and encounter happiness”;
萬事如意Wànshìrúyì – “May all your wishes be fulfilled”;
吉慶有餘Jíqìngyǒuyú – “May your happiness be without limit”;
竹報平安Zhúbàopíng’ān – “May you hear [in a letter] that all is well”;
一本萬利Yīběnwànlì – “May a small investment bring ten-thousandfold profits”;
福壽雙全Fúshòushuāngquán – “May your happiness and longevity be complete”;
招財進寶Zhāocáijìnbǎo – “When wealth is acquired, precious objects follow”;
歲歲平安 Suìsuì-píng’ān – “everlasting peace year after year”;
新年快樂 Xīnniánkuàile – “Happy new year”;
恭喜發財 Gōngxǐfācái – “Congratulations and be prosperous”. Kung Hei Fat Choi! Hóunián jíxiáng! Happy New Year! Good luck for this year of the Monkey! Have a prosperous and productive Chinese New Year!

Positive Motivation Tip: Use this opportunity to revisit the promises you made at the beginning of 2016 and transform yourself.

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)comCategory tag: – Share your post using Motivation MondaysTwitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnMDedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-upFacebook Page:MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)Tag: – Motivation MondaysHashtag: – #MotvnM